Way back in the 1600s, French
refugees from Europe settled in a part of northeastern Canada
called Acadia. (It’s called Nova Scotia, “New Scotland”, today.)
When England won Nova Scotia in the mid-1700s, the English made the French settlers disown their allegiance to Catholic France or they
had to leave. Some migrated to Maine, which is why there’s a
French influence up there. Spain controlled Louisiana at that
time, and being an enemy of England and being Catholic, they
invited the Acadians move further south. The snobbish Creoles
were too humorless for the Acadians, so the Acadians settled outside of
the city and maintained their New World version of French
culture. “Acadia” got corrupted into “Acajun” by the English, who
never made any effort to speak French correctly. “Acajun” was
finally corrupted into “Cajun”. Cajun food is spicy and
uses local ingredients with a French twist.

The word “creole” comes
from the Spanish “criollo”, which was used to describe a person,
white or black, born in the New World who had European parentage.
It was a way of differentiating themselves from the locals. In New Orleans, Creoles claim an aristocratic lineage because many families
have a French royal who fled the French Revolution, or they have
a refugee officer from Napoleon’s Army. Black Creoles were not
slaves – they were always free men. Like the Cajuns, Creoles tend
to be Catholic, but they’re much more classic in their French
language and culture. Creole food is Parisian cuisine with a New
World accent.